The Haunted Traveler Vol. 2 Issue 1

54
pox to Native Americans.
Clenching his fists, Pepper lowered his shoulder and
tightly rounded the corner prepared to strike. But he swung
at air. The cocky silence seemed to mock his attack. His
reflection was not waiting for him on the second floor.
It was a long, thirty foot walk to the attic stairs. Each room
Pepper passed was laced with invisible spectators. The silence
was pushing the walls together.
Pepper had to side shuffle the last five feet. He could
not tell if he was beyond terrified or developed a sense of
callousness. As soon as his foot touched the first step, the
house disappeared behind him. It was a black backdrop.
Each step Pepper took was replied with a creak or a step
from the top of the stairs.
The monster was waiting. It had escaped. Pepper
thought he could hear it breathing at the top of the steps. His
heart felt like it was attempting to jump out of his mouth like
a fish in a bowl. His neck began to hurt from the constant
punching of his pulse. When Pepper was only a few steps
from the top of the stairs he began to feel light headed and
dizzy. His body wavered and he had to crouch on the stairs
or risk falling backward.
He attempted to peer over but could only see the top
of an empty doorway. The memory of the hand began to
work its way to the front of Pepper’s brain. Before the image
became vivid enough to relive, Pepper leaped to the top of
the steps and turned to face the mirror.
It stood on its own in the middle of the attic without
any beams or boards to balance on. Its wood looked freshly
polished and new. For a moment all Pepper could see was
himself. He stared back in a combination of terror and confusion.
But as the two Pepper’s stared, the reflection in the
mirror began taking steps towards the barrier. Looking to his
left for any form of protection, Pepper found a driver that